Life After
by nightwatcher27
Summary: Immediatly after HBP, see what happens leading up to final battle,HG, moderate fluff throughout
1. Train Stations and the Pub

Life After…

A/N: this story actually used to be part of a much larger one but about 90 pages in my plot bunny ran away. Plotting a bit since then, this is what I came up with. ENJOY!

The train ground to a halt at Kings Cross station and people began to filter off the train. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Harry exited it train, along with all the other students as well as the extra security from the Ministry as well as most of the order of the phoenix. Everyone began to look for their Families in the busy crowd. Ron and Ginny found their Family almost instantly. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were one of the First people they happened to see upon exiting the train. Ron and Hermione went over to say Hello with Ginny following slowly in toe. Since the Funeral nobody's spirits were all that great, but Ginny had a reason to be especially down. She tried to down play it but it didn't seem to be working. After all she had lost more than most, she had lost her mentor like everyone else but she also lost the love of her life. He had said it was better for her. When the Trio reached the Weasley's there were hugs all around from Mrs. Weasley. As well as handshakes from Mr. Weasley. As they all stood there on the platform chatting away Ron turned around and saw Harry standing there looking lost. When Ron noticed this he gestured to Hermione who looked around to see what Ron wanted. As she turned she saw Harry moving to sit on his Trunk. Hermione's heart went out to Harry, She realized that for Harry at this moment he had no one for comfort in his life. He simply sat there looking like he didn't know what to do. Hermione and Ron turned back to Ron's parents. At that moment another bunch of people came up and joined the group. There was Bill and Fleur, as well as Lupin and Tonks. Hermione and Ron simply nodded at the group then gestured for the two elder Weasley's to come closer so they could talk. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley nodded and agreed, then followed the two teens away. When they were safely away from the rest of the group Ron leaned towards his parents and whispered something to them, when Ron finished whispering the elder Weasley's nodded and the teens headed back to the rest of the group. Mr. And Mrs. Weasley stood there talking for a moment or two then Molly patted her husband on the arm. Arthur simply smiled and headed back to the group to join the rest of the people chatting. When Molly was sure that everyone was once again occupied she headed towards Harry.

Harry was so engrossed with things going on in his head he did not notice that he was being approached. Mrs. Weasley stopped and reached down and touched Harry on the arm. He did nothing. After a few second Molly began to speak " Harry dear!" Harry still sat there stock-still but answered " Huh". Seeing that this was the only answer she was going to get she continued once more " Harry, why are you just sitting here?" Harry took a large breath and spoke for the first time since he got on the train earlier that day, " Um, well in all the excitement of the last couple of days I didn't get a chance to send a message to my aunt and uncle, so they don't know that we came back early." Harry paused for a moment he then got up off his trunk and began to stare at his shoes. " But don't worry Mrs. Weasley I'll just stay in Diagon alley at the Leaky Cauldron. Then before it would have been time for me to go home I'll send the Dursley's a message telling them I have a ride." Harry now began to fuss with the edge of his shirtsleeve. "Besides that way I get some peace and quiet." Molly Weasley began to scowl at the thought of this young man she care for so much being all alone at a time like this. Molly stood silent for a moment trying to decide what to say next. After a few moments she began once again " Harry, why would you stay in the Leaky Cauldron you know you always welcome at the Burrow?" Harry began to look very sad and upset. In spite of his state he began to answer Mrs. Weasley, " Well… I'm not sure if you know or not but for a few weeks Ginny and myself were dating…" Mrs. Weasley began to smile but Harry continued " But after what happened to Dumbledore I decided that it was best that she didn't see me, so she's probably very up set and I don't want the rest of you to suffer because I'm there" When Harry had finished speaking Mrs. Weasley was no longer smiling but she did not look entirely mad, just sort of confused and slightly disappointed. She sat down on Harry's trunk and began to respond to what she had been told " Harry I'm glad you managed to get some happy time with Ginny, I also understand you want to be alone for awhile. So here is what I think you should do. First I think that you should go to Diagon Alley, get your room and get some rest tonight. In the morning I'm going to send Ginny to see you and I want you to talk to her for a while. See where you see things in the morning after a rest. If things aren't solved tomorrow I'll send Ginny every day 'till they are. But when you guys come to a reasonable solution I want you at the Burrow immediately."

Harry frowned for a moment then looked at the group of people now watching him; Ginny looked at him and gave a small shrug before returning to her conversation with Hermione. Harry turned back towards Mrs. Weasley " But I don't think you understand, I didn't break it off because I don't want to be with her I did it for her and everyone else at the Burrow, so you all can be safe. I don't think talking is going to change that." Mrs. Weasley frowned again " Harry please, I'm not saying you have to get back together, I just don't want you guys to end with bad feelings towards one another, just get some rest tonight and we can talk about this tomorrow, I'll send Ginny around lunch." Harry knew he would not win so he just gave in and shrugged " Okay Mrs. Weasley but I don't know what good rest will do" With that the two walked back to the group, Mrs. Weasley with a slight smile and Harry thoroughly confused. When they finally reached the group it was Mrs. Weasley that spoke " Arthur we need to drop Harry at Diagon Alley, Everyone else is coming to the Burrow. Hermione your parents already know, they sent some clothes and books and such, they are waiting for us at the Burrow." Mr. Weasley nodded acknowledgment to his wife and the large group left the train platform and headed for the exit. When they reached the out doors they saw a few cars sitting there waiting for them. They all pilled into two cars. Mr. Weasley instructed the driver of the first car to go to the Leaky Cauldron, Mrs. Weasley instructed the second car to follow. After about half an hour the two cars pulled up in front of the Leaky Cauldron. Everyone exited the cars. Harry began to receive hugs all around. At last he reached Ginny and Mrs. Weasley. The two ladies looked at each other then Mrs. Weasley spoke " Harry, remember get some rest Ginny will be coming at lunch." With that the two Weasley ladies ganged up and hugged Harry. Mrs. Weasley left and wrangled everyone except for Ginny back into the cars. When Ginny And Harry were once again alone Ginny stood in front of Harry and began to speak " Harry, you know you'll never win against mum?" With that she gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek and got in the car.

Harry stood there totally astonished as to what had just happened, as far as he had known Ginny was really upset, but apparently he had been wrong. Harry stood there for quite a few minutes until he could no longer see the car he had come in. Once they were gone he turned his attention towards his trunk and other belongings on the sidewalk. He knew if he moved it all by himself it would take a lot of time and effort. So instead he put a concealment charm on his things and walked into the pub. Once inside he walked up to the bar to see Tom the friendly barkeep of the Leaky Caldron. After explaining to Tom that he needed a room, and some supper he asked Tom to help him with his Luggage. Tom of course obliged and within minutes he was done. Tom had once again put Harry in room eleven, almost as to make it kind of homey for him. With all the luggage in his room Harry left to go down stairs and have some supper. He entered the pub and sat him self at a table. A few minutes later Tom came over to take his order, " Hello Mr. Potter, what can I get for you tonight?" Harry thought for a moment then answered the bartender/waiter/inn keep. "Tom I think I would like some roast beef, mashed potato's, gravy, and a cup of coffee please." Tom bowed and answered" Very well Mr. Potter." Tom began to scurry away when Harry waved him back, " By the way Tom, Mr. Potter was my father Harry is fine thank you" Tom just nodded and went to get Harry's dinner. As Harry sat waiting for his dinner he looked around the room at the bar around him. It was surprisingly busy. Harry was glad, that way he would not be the center of attention. When Harry's meal arrived at the table tom looked at him for a moment then spoke " Harry sir, if there is anything else let me know!" Harry scowled at Tom for a moment then reminded him " Tom, just Harry is fine" Tom once again nodded and hurried away to help the other patrons of his pub. Harry sat enjoying his meal in relative quiet. Every twenty minutes or so Tom would appear and refill his coffee, then leave Harry in peace. Harry enjoyed this quality of Tom's. Tom knew that Harry liked to eat in peace.

After about an hour or so Harry was done his meal. Tom came and whisked the dishes away. As Harry sat drinking his coffee the pub began to empty out. After another cup the only ones left in the pub were tom and himself. Tom continued to leave Harry in peace while he cleaned up. Half an hour had passed since the last patron had left, Tom came out of the back room of the pub, put his dishtowel down on the bar and proceeded to pour two beers for himself and Harry. He picked up the mugs and came around the bar. He placed one mug in front of Harry and the other on the opposite side of the table. Tom then pulled up a chair and sat. Harry looked at the beer for a second then looked at Tom " Tom, I'm not old enough you can get in trouble for this" Tom looked at the young man and with a simple smile said " Pub's closed, how they gonna catch me, besides after the last couple days you had you need one." Tom chuckled and lifted his mug in the air. Harry mimicked tom and they clinked their mugs together. The two drank their beers in silence. When Harry was done he placed his mug back on the table and sat silent still. When Tom noticed that the mug was empty he said in a very matter of fact tone, " Well it's bed time, sleep well!" Harry stood up and went to leave, as he left he called over his shoulder " Thanks Tom, Good night!" He went up to his room, lay on his bed and was asleep almost immediately.


	2. Letter and Lunch

As dawn broke the light of day came creeping into Harry's room at the Leaky Cauldron. Due to the fact that the window in the room was on the opposite wall as his bed the early morning sun shone in his eyes. Harry stirred mumbling something about stupid windows and got out of bed to close the heavy curtains. He walked across the room with out his glasses and closed the curtains. Harry turned and without even thinking crawled back into bed and pulled the covers up over his head. Almost immediately Harry had fallen back asleep. As he slept he dreamed about the past week, His dreams were first filled with the last few days he had been with Ginny, but they took a complete one hundred and eighty degree turn, he dreamt of the night that Dumbledore died, of the cave and the fight at the school. He near the end of the fight in his dream he woke up very suddenly and very frightened. Harry reached over and grabbed his glasses off the nightstand and looked over at the clock on the wall, it was ten thirty. Harry decided to finally get up and start his day. Harry pulled on some sweats and headed for the shower. He turned on the water and waited for it to warm up. After a few minutes he crawled under the jet of water. Harry stood still for a moment enjoying the warmth of the water spraying down on him. After a few moments he began to wash. When he was done watching he turned off the water and grabbed a towel. Harry left the bathroom and went to his trunk, from which he grabbed a pair of blue jeans and a t-shirt as well as new boxers and socks. As Harry got dressed he began to let his mind wander. Of course the first thing it wandered to was Ginny. In little over an hour he would be having lunch with her. As Harry finished dressing he also began to think of the journey he had in front of him. Harry wondered weather Professor McGonnogal knew anything about Harry's task or not. So rather than sit there and ponder the question Harry decided to write McGonnogal a letter and ask her what she knew. Harry walked back over to his trunk and took out a piece of parchment and a quill as well as a bottle of ink. Once he had his writing implements he walked over to the desk in the corner and sat down. Harry knew that McGonnogal was a no nonsense type of person so he decided to just come out with it and tell her what he knew and what he needed.

_Dear Professor,_

_ As you already know I was with Dumbledore on his last night alive. What you may or may not know is that Dumbledore thought that he had found the reason no one could kill Voldemort. Dumbledore believed that Voldemort made himself seven Horcrux's. I destroyed the first one, which was the diary from my second year. The second was a ring once owned by the Gaunt family, which were descendants of Slythern as well as Voldemort's grandfather, we believe that the third was a locket owned by Voldemort's mother, but when we went to find it the one we found was a fake, we also believe that there is four others not including the real locket. Now to the point of this letter. I am requesting the assistance of yourself as well as the order. I may need information or resources and I would like to know if you would help me. If you choose not to I will understand, but I hope you will. _

_Thankfully _

_Harry J. Potter_

_Harry J Potter_

As Harry finished the letter he got up and went to his trunk. He retrieved and envelope and put the letter inside. When he had sealed the envelope he went over to his desk and picked up his quill. Unsure how to address the envelope he simply wrote " M. McGonnogal" and hoped Hedwig would be able to find her. When the ink had dried he walked over to Hegwig's cage and petted Hedwig on the head, as he did he spoke kindly to his owl. "Now girl, this one may be tricky but I need you to find Professor McGonnogal, it is very important." Hedwig hopped out of her cage and hooted at Harry and waited for Harry to hand her the letter. As Harry stood there petting his owl his mind wandered once more and he did not hear Hedwig hoot at him. It took Hedwig clipping at his finger to bring him back to reality. When he did finally come back Harry handed his owl the letter and sent Hedwig on her way with a confident " Here you go, I know you'll find her, you don't have to wait for an answer." With that she flew off into the day to find the receiver of the letter she had in her beak. Harry turned from sending his owl on a delivery to see that it was eleven forty-five. Harry decided he better go down for lunch. After all if he were not there Ginny would just come to his room anyway. Harry looked at himself for a moment or two in the mirror and tried to flatten his hair. After a few more minutes the mirror stated the obvious " That's a useless endeavor dear, but you look nice all the same. Now go on." Harry sighed then responded " Okay, thanks!" And off he went to have lunch with Ginny.

As Harry left his room he could hear all the patrons in the busy pub. He hoped that Ginny wasn't one of those people yet. He still had to think of what he was going to say. As he reached the stairs he realized that he and Ginny had ended on sort of weird terms and that was going to make things somewhat difficult. Even though Harry knew that he had at least one awkward conversation coming, he could not wait to see Ginny. Harry shrugged off the odd feelings and started down the stairs. As he reached the bottom of the stairs he began to look around. Ginny was not there. Harry scanned the pub again looking for a place to sit. When he noticed that there was no empty seats available he went up to the bar. Harry stood there for a few minutes before Tom the barkeep came down to see Harry " Mr. Potter, what can I do for you?" Harry scowled at the barkeep before he responded " Tom I asked you to call me Harry, but that's not important right now, There is no empty tables at the moment and I'm supposed to be having lunch with someone in ten minutes, can you send up a light lunch and if you see a red head come in and ask for me can you send her to my room to join me?" Tom looked at Harry and responded " Yes Mr…..I mean of course Harry" Harry nodded at the barkeep and proceeded back up to his room.

As Harry reached his room he decided to sit and read. He went to his trunk and removed his Quidditch through the ages book. He sat down in the armchair near the fire pace in his room. He reached over and turned on the lamp and opened the book and began to read. The minutes passed by slowly. Harry looked up after awhile and noticed that the clock on the wall read twelve thirty. Ginny wasn't there and Harry assumed that she had decided not to come. For a moment Harry felt down hearted. After a few seconds his brain reminded him that he had broken it off with Ginny to keep her safe. Hoping for her to be there with him now was in Harry's mind the same as hoping her to be in danger. Harry shook off his bad feelings and went back to reading. Five minutes later there was a knock at his door. Harry did not remove himself from his book but simply called out " Come in Tom" and continued to read. Harry heard the doorknob turn and footsteps head towards the table to Harry's left. When Harry heard the tray being set down on the table he once again did not remove himself from his book and said " Thank you Tom." All of a sudden he heard a soft voice say " Your welcome Harry" Harry jumped in surprise. He dropped his book and spun to see Ginny standing there beside the table. She was breath taking to Harry; she was dressed simply but beautifully. She had a pair of jeans on, as well as a form fitting shirt as well as a light purple sweater. Harry's only response was to stammer, " Um…Hi…Er a how you doing Ginny?" Ginny laughed at Harry. " Hi Harry, you mind if I sit?" Harry just nodded. Ginny sat in the chair opposite to where Harry had been sitting. When she had settled he pulled the table over between them and sat himself back in his chair. As he sat Harry reached down and picked up his book and closed it properly and placed it on the table beside their lunch. Before Harry could say anything Ginny broke in, " Sorry I was late, I had trouble finding clothes to wear." Harry once again simply nodded. Unsure what to say Harry decided to stall for time. He picked up the jug of juice that Tom had sent up and poured them each a glass and placed Ginny's in front of her. When the juice was poured he moved on to lunch. He took one of the plates off the tray and placed a sandwich on it for himself. All the while he was trying to figure out what to say. As he was thinking Ginny also remained silent and served herself some sandwiches as well.

Twenty minutes of silent eating was starting to get to Harry, and even though he wasn't sure what to say he couldn't be silent anymore. " So Ginny how was your Evening?" Ginny pondered the question for a while before she shocked Harry by ignoring his question and bombarding him " Harry cut the crap, I didn't come here for Small talk, mum said that we need to sort things out and I agree." Harry was momentarily set back but once what Ginny had said sunk in he became angry " Ginny, there is nothing to sort out, I told you, I'm doing this to keep you safe, so why don't you cut the crap and tell me what you want!" It seemed like the afternoon had turned from a nice lunch into a battle of wills. Ginny was infuriated, she began to yell, " I initially came here to try and make peace, but apparently you had other ideas!" It was now Harry's turn to yell again " I never said I didn't want peace, but you knew why I did what I did, why is that not good enough for you?" With each sentence Ginny screamed louder at Harry " Because we both know the answer you gave me is complete garbage, you just don't want to get close to me because your scared of what will happen if you actually love me with all your heart…" Ginny sobbed deeply then continued in a quieter tone" …Like I love you" Ginny then began to cry. Harry watched in shocked silence. Ginny then continued this time in a much quieter tone " You know all I ever wanted to do is love you, to give you the love you deserved all your life, what's so Wrong about that?" When Ginny was done she turned around and left the room, but Harry heard no footsteps going down the hall. Harry pressed his ear to the door and listened al he heard were the soft sniffles and whimpers of Ginny. Harry opened the door and looked to the right. There on the floor with her knees at her chest was Ginny. Harry walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder, " Ginny?" She said nothing and continued to cry. " I'm sorry Ginny, I didn't really mean to upset you." When he had finished speaking he helped Ginny to her feet and embraced her in a hug. "Maybe we should stop for today and continue tomorrow after I've had some time to think" Ginny nodded and whimpered, "Ok, I'll come back tomorrow!" Ginny then let go of Harry and quietly left the hall.


	3. Aftermath and Sleepless Night

A/N: This chapter is obviously a direct continuation of the last chapter; I just didn't want to make it too long so now on with the story.

As Harry stood there and watched Ginny walk away he noticed that for the first time since he had met her she looked broken. He had never truly seen her look so vulnerable. That had not been his intention. He wasn't totally sure what his intention was but it was not to break Ginny's spirit. He heard Ginny go down the stairs. When she reached the bottom Harry heard Ginny ask Tom to use the fireplace. Tom obviously obliged the young lady. After a few seconds all that was heard was the whoosh of the downstairs fireplace. Once Ginny was gone Harry went back into his room. He sat back down in his armchair once again. He thought for a second about going back to his book but he knew his mind was not going to be in it so he simply decided to just think about what had happened.

After a few minutes of silent contemplation there was a knock at the door. Harry was surprised. He called out "Who's there?" Tom's voice boomed immediately "It's Tom!" Harry noticed that Tom sounded very mad. Harry stood and walked over to the door and opened it. Tom came stomping and stood there waiting for Harry to close the door. When Harry finally did close the door Tom immediately put a silencing charm on the door. Harry knew he was in trouble. Tom began to yell " MR. POTTER, YOU AND YOUR LITTLE ESCAPADE JUST COST ME MY WHOLE LUNCH CROWD. WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON UP HERE?" Harry was surprised at the bluntness of the owner of the pub. Harry stood silently for a second then gathered his thoughts to explain to Tom what had happened. " Tom I'm very sorry I just ended up having a rather heated discussion but I can't do magic away from school so I couldn't keep things quiet. Tom just nodded remembering that Harry was not yet of age. He looked quite sorry that he had actually yelled at Harry. Harry then continued, " I'll be more than willing to pay for your lost business, how much do you usually make during lunch time?" Tom stood silent for some time and Harry could see that he was calculating in his head. Tom finally spoke " Well considering that every table was full I'd say I would have made about five hundred Galleons give or take a few." Harry did not say anything but walked over to his trunk and removed a small piece of parchment he then walked to the desk and quickly scribbled something on the paper. When he was done he picked up the paper and walked back over to Tom. " Sorry about that, take this to Gringotts and they will reimburse you." Tom looked shocked; he then looked down at the parchment it read,

_To whom it may concern,_

_ Please deduct six hundred Galleons from my account, and pay them to Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron._

_Thank You,_

_Harry J. Potter_

Tom was dumbstruck. Before Tom could say anything Harry cut him off. " I hope this covers it, if you like I can find somewhere else to stay. I didn't mean to cause any trouble." Harry stood silently waiting for Tom to answer. Tom finally spoke up, " No Mr. Potter you don't have to leave, and I'm sorry I yelled at you I was just mad at having my pub empty in less than five minutes. You are more than welcome to stay. Also you gave me too much money, I'll start you a tab, you can pay off the extra money in room charges or lunches or how ever you choose to use it." Harry barely let Tom finish his sentence when he began, " No Tom the extra money is for the inconvenience of having an empty pub!" Tom knew he would not win an argument against Harry so he just thanked Harry repeatedly and removed the silencing charm from the door and went to leave. Before he left Tom turned and addressed Harry once more, " If there is any thing else I can help you with let me know" He then bowed and left the room, closing the door as he went.

Harry was once again alone. He turned and looked at the clock on the mantle of the fireplace in his room. It was a little after two in the afternoon. For some reason Harry was tired so he decided to have a nap. After only a few minutes in bed Harry was out cold. Who knew that fighting with someone could use so much energy. Harry's nap for some unknown reason was dreamless and Harry woke a few hours later. As he searched the bed for his glasses he found them twisted in his blanket. This occurrence was not that unusual to Harry he had fallen asleep with his glasses on plenty of times. As he put his glasses on his face he looked towards the clock on the mantle once again. It was almost five. That would explain why Harry was so hungry. Harry walked towards the door to head down to the pub for dinner. As he walked down the stairs he could hear that Tom had once again gathered a crowd in his pub. When Harry reached the bottom of the stairs he looked around he found himself an empty table in one of the corners. Harry walked over and sat down and began to wait for Tom to come over and take his dinner order. After some time Tom came up and stood on the opposite side of the table from where Harry sat " What can I get you for dinner Harry?" Harry wondered for a second then answered " Well, I think I would like some fried chicken, with some chips and if you have any I would like a muggle soda" Tom nodded as Harry recited his order when Harry had finished Tom asked " Gravy for your chips?" Harry nodded agreement. Tom bustled off to give the order to his cook in the kitchen. A minute or two later Tom returned with a large bottle of soda for Harry. "Here you go Harry, this is from my own stash, and I'm quite fond of muggle soda. Also this came for you" Tom held out his hand to reveal two letters on a small tray. Harry took the tray and placed it on the table. " Thank you Tom" The barkeep hustled away and went to tend to other customers.

After a few minutes Harry's curiosity got the best of him, he picked up the first of two of the letters and looked at it. It was from Ron and Hermione. He decided to wait until later to read that one. He then picked up the second letter and turned it over. It was from Ginny. Harry was surprised that she had written him after this afternoon. Harry placed that letter with the first and decided to wait to read that one as well. Harry picked up his glass and began to sip his soda while waiting for his meal to come. After about half of his soda was gone Tom came up with a plate full of food and placed it in front of Harry. Harry ate quickly but made sure he took enough time to enjoy the delicious meal. When Harry had finished his meal he stood and picked up his letters and put them in his pocket. He then picked up his glass and the soda bottle in one hand and headed for the stairs. As he got to the base of the stairs he held up the glass and bottle so that Tom could see, he then waved and went up the stairs to his room. When he got there he put the bottle and glass on the table in the room and went to start a fire. It took Harry sometime to make a fire without magic but after about fifteen minutes a fire crackled in the grate giving the room a warm glow. Harry stood there for a moment or two simply watching the fire. All of a sudden there was a small tap at the window. He looked over and saw his owl Hedwig sitting on the windowsill waiting for him to come and open the window. Harry slowly walked over and opened the window. Hedwig flew in and landed on Harry's shoulder and dropped a letter into Harry's hand. Harry held the letter in one hand and reached up with the other and began to pet his owl. She affectionately nibbled at his finger and hooted lightly. Harry smiled " Thanks girl, you did a good job!" After a few more moments Hedwig hooted once more and flew over to the perch in the corner to sleep for a while. Harry turned over the letter to see whom it had come from.

In a small fine hand was written, M. McGonnogal, Hogwarts temporary Headmistress, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry smiled. He did not expect a response so quickly. He put the letter down on the table, removed the other two letters from his pocket and placed them both on top of the one from his former professor. He sat in his chair and poured himself another glass of soda. He then picked up his letters trying to decide which one to read first. He decided to read the one from Ron and Hermione first. Harry broke the seal and opened the letter. He noticed the handwriting immediately, it was Hermione's. Thank god thought Harry because Ron's writing was terrible to try and read. Harry then began to read.

_Dear Harry,_

_We know it's only been one day but we wanted to see how you were. What happened today? Ginny left in a good mood this afternoon but came home very upset. Is there anything we can do to help? By the way, Ron says if you don't stop making Ginny upset he's gonna come and beat on you, but don't worry I'll straighten him out. Gotta go for a bit, I'll finish later…. I'm Back. I just went to talk to Ginny she told me you guys had a fight but she won't tell me what about. You're gonna explain next time I see you. Take care of yourself and I'll see you soon._

_Love _

_Hermione(and Ron)_

Harry sat for a second and thought about what was written on the page. After a few minutes Harry rose and went over to his desk and sat down. Once he was comfortable he picked up a piece of parchment from the corner of the desk, placed it in front of himself. He picked up his quill and dipped it in his inkbottle and began to write.

_Hermione & Ron,_

_Hello, yes I'm fine I spent yesterday settling in but today was okay. Except for the Fight with Ginny and I'm not telling you what we fought about either because it's my business. Don't worry we're gonna solve the problem tomorrow._

_Gotta go_

_Love_

_Harry_

Harry then moved back to his chair. As he sat he look up at the clock on the mantle once more. It was now nine o'clock. Harry could not sit still so he once again rose and began to pace around his room. After about half an hour Harry had managed to gather himself enough to sit down and read another letter. He picked up the second letter. Ginny's letter. As he picked it up to open it he got a very faint smell from the letter. Harry thought, " Ginny must have scented paper" but for some reason Harry loved the smell. His mind began to wander off. Harry was trying to think what the paper smelled like. After forty-five minutes it struck Harry like a ton of bricks, it smelled almost exactly like Ginny. Upon realizing what the letter smelled like he put the letter to his nose and took a big sniff. Harry loved that smell. If you asked him he could not tell you why but it was great to him. He turned over the envelope and opened it. On the back Ginny had written " Hey silly you're reading the wrong side turn it over" Harry laughed out loud at this. He then did as he was instructed and turned it over and opened the letter. It wasn't all that long but Harry knew Ginny like to get right to the point so he read…

_Dear Harry,_

_I know that I just saw you this afternoon, and when I left we were in a very strange place but I wanted to write and apologize. Yes I do know why you ended our relationship but that doesn't make it any easier_." As Harry finished the first little bit of the letter the nice smell he had smelled when he first opened the letter came to him again, causing his mind to wander from the task of reading this letter. He began to think of the time he had spent with Ginny. After awhile his mind came back and he began to read again. _ " I know that somewhere deep inside you at least have some feelings left for me. But actually I wanted to write and apologize for making a scene and I'll talk to you tomorrow"_

_Love always _

Ginny 

As Harry finished reading the letter his mind began to race. He knew that he did indeed still love Ginny but it was hard for Harry to comprehend how exactly he could have what he wanted but also do the right thing and keep her safe. He pondered this thought for quite some time, as he thought he paced around his room. Then suddenly his train of thought shifted slightly as he remembered what she had said to him the day of the funeral "What if I don't care if I'm in danger?" Harry wondered if he should ask Ginny about that one tomorrow, after another couple of hours he decided he probably would, he still wasn't quite sure. Harry stopped for a moment and looked up at the clock. It was almost three in the morning. It was very late and Harry did not feel like reading his last letter tonight, so he decided to go to bed. He got into a pair of pajama pants and hopped into bed. He took his Glasses off and set them on the nightstand. As Harry lay in bed he could not sleep, every time he tried he ran over the events of earlier that day and the letters he had received. He tossed and turned but still couldn't sleep. Finally as the sun began to rise Harry drifted off. Once asleep his dreams began to replay the events of the day. He did not sleep well.


	4. Return to Hogwarts

A/N: this chapters a monster, at least four thousand words. Enjoy!!!

After only a few restless hours of sleep Harry awoke and decided to give up on trying to sleep. Harry knew that it was a lost cause to try. Harry reached over and grabbed his glasses off of the nightstand and put them on his face. As his world came into focus he looked out the window at the early morning light. He could see that the sun was still fairly low in the sky. Harry looked over at the clock on the mantle, it was only seven thirty. Harry knew that he didn't want breakfast this morning but he could not lie in bed all day. He rose from his bed and remembered he still had one letter to answer. The one from his former professor. He walked over to his chair and sat down. He picked up the letter and turned it over to break the wax seal on the back. He removed the letter from its envelope and placed the envelope on the table. He opened the letter and began to read

_Harry,_

_Your assumption was correct I did indeed know what Dumbledore knew, he informed me of his thoughts and possible findings. I also believe that there is still quite a few Horcrux's hidden. It would be my pleasure as headmistress of Hogwarts to assist you as long as I hold a position of power here. Also I have called a meeting of the Order for later today. That being said I wish to meet with you after that meeting. If I hear no reply by tomorrow lunch I will assume that to be acceptance of the meeting._

M. McGonnogal 

Harry smiled ever so slightly. For some reason the fact that someone else knew lightened the load on Harry. Harry decided to fireplace call his former professor he had some questions.

Harry rose from his chair and went over to his trunk and removed some clean clothes for himself. He then went to have a shower before having breakfast and calling McGonnogal.

As Harry stood in the shower his mind began to wander to his meeting with Ginny later. What was he going to say? Would she actually still be mad? Harry was at this moment very torn within himself. He could shut out Ginny and keep her safe, which would make them both miserable; or he could tell her and give her the option to come along but put her in great danger. Harry stood in the shower for almost an hour before his thoughts came back to him. That is why he wanted to talk to McGonnogal, see what she thought about the whole situation. Harry turned off the water and exited the shower. As he began to dress he could hear the crowd starting to build down in the pub. That was good that meant that he would most likely not be disturbed during breakfast. But first he had to see if his professor would join him for breakfast. He started a fire in the grate in his room then went down into the pub to see Tom for some of the powder that would allow him to fireplace call his professor. As he walked up to the bar Tom came up immediately " Your up awful early this morning, well it's early for you anyway." Harry nodded his agreement with a smile. Harry then gestured for Tom to come closer so he did not have to talk so loudly. As Tom leaned over the bar Harry began to whisper " Tom, I need some of that fireplace powder so I can reach McGonnogal. Can you help me out?" Tom smiled and nodded before saying " I certainly will be happy to help, wait her one second." Tom then hurried off to get some powder for Harry, after a few minutes Tom returned with a small jar of powder and handed it to Harry. Harry just nodded and returned upstairs to his room.

Once there he locked the door and prepared himself to make his call in the fireplace. First he placed a pillow on the ground to kneel on then he put on some clothes that were a little older so if they got dirty it would not be a big deal. Once he had changed he took the jar of powder and paced it by the pillow, he then knelt down and opened the jar. Harry steadied himself for his call. He then threw some powder into the fire and stuck his head into the fire and called out "Minerva McGonnogal please". Suddenly the fire began to swirl in his face. After a few moments a familiar office came into focus, it was the Headmasters office at Hogwarts. When the fire stopped swirling he called out, " Professor" Harry then waited for a reply. For a few moments there was nothing Harry then called out again " Professor, are you there?" This time within seconds there came a reply. " Harry you scared me, come out of that fireplace, that's not very comfortable!" Harry nodded " Yes professor, I'll be right there" Harry stood up. Went down stairs and went back to the bar. Tom came up to Harry almost immediately. " What can I do for you now Harry?" Harry looked at the barkeep and asked " Tom, I hate to be an inconvenience but may I buy some regular floo powder from you?" Tom nodded then hurried off once more, when he returned he had another jar for Harry. Harry left the pub with his new jar and headed back to his room. Once inside he moved his pillow and his previous jar. He waited a couple of seconds then opened the jar picked out some powder and threw it in the fire and called out " Headmaster's office at Hogwarts" The fire flared up in great emerald color then something happened that had never happened before the fire called out " State your name for the occupant of the office" Harry frowned for a second then called out " Harry Potter, to see professor McGonnogal" The flames in the grate continued to flame bright green and after a few seconds the voice returned " You are now clear to floo to that location, have a good trip" With out thinking Harry said " Thank you" and stepped into the fire. The flames swirled up and engulfed Harry, after only a few seconds Harry felt his feet hit hard on the grate in the headmasters office.

Harry stepped out of the grate and began to wipe the ash off himself. When he had finished cleaning himself up he looked up to see his former professor standing in front of him. She began " What can I do for you Mr. Potter?" Harry scowled at the use of his last name but let it go. " Would you please join me for breakfast at the leaky cauldron? There are some things I would like to discuss with you" Professor McGonnogal stayed silent for a moment or two then looked up at Harry " Well Harry, I have some things to do at the moment would lunch be acceptable I'm afraid breakfast is not good today" Harry frowned, he was supposed to meet Ginny for lunch but he would take what he could get. " I guess lunch will have to do, I had another meeting planned but before that one I must meet with you" McGonnogal paused in thought. After a few minutes she addressed Harry once more " I see, well if you must meet with me I can hurry things along a little. Why don't you go down to the great hall and have breakfast with the few remaining teachers and some Ministry staff and I will come and get you. It should only take me an hour or so to wrap things up" Harry looked apprehensively at his former professor but before he could say anything she added " No, the Minister and Percy are not here" Harry then smiled slightly before answering " That sounds good I think I'll take you up on that offer." McGonnogal nodded as if to say "Okay, that will be all" and smiled. Harry rose and went to leave the office. As he opened the office door he turned and once more addressed his former professor " Thank you Professor" He then left. As he rode the staircase down towards the main corridor it occurred to Harry, he could now get his potions book if he chose. Smiling he exited the bottom of the staircase and headed off to the room of requirement.

Once in front of the door he began to pace thinking the whole time " I need to recover my potions book" after the third time a door appeared. Harry walked in and saw the same sight as a few days earlier, piles of stuff everywhere. It only took Harry a few minutes to recover his book from its hiding place. Once he had the book back in his possession he started to look around for an old book bag to put it in. After only a few minutes of searching he found one. He emptied it out and placed the book in it. Harry knew he still had almost fifty minutes before the professor would call for him so he began to look around for some other neat stuff to 'Borrow'. He found some other neat looking books, a muggle football; he even found a rather expensive looking set of four rings. The rings seemed to call to Harry. Without thinking Harry found himself a small container for the rings then placed the rings in the container. With the container in the bag he noticed that the bag was starting to fill up. Harry decided he had enough stuff. He closed the book bag and headed for the door. Harry then made his way down to the great hall. He slowly pulled the door open and walked in.

Everyone in the hall turned and looked as they heard the door open. When everyone in the room noticed who had come in there were several gasps then a whole lot of " Hi Harry's. But before he could respond he was 'attacked' by Hagrid. "Harry m' boy, watcha doin' 'ere?" Harry smiled as his giant friend gave him a bone-crushing hug. " Hi Hagrid, I just came to see Professor McGonnogal" Hagrid beamed, " Well, come sit for breakfast." Harry nodded and followed Hagrid to the lone table in the center of the hall. As they approached Professor Slughorn pulled a chair up to the table. Harry nodded to his former professor then motioned for Hagrid to sit in the chair that had been pulled up by professor Slughorn. Hagrid knew that Harry really did not want to talk to his former potions professor so as he sat down he immediately struck up a conversation with the man who kept him pre occupied enough to temporarily forget about Harry. As Harry sat down a familiar house elf came scurrying up and in a squeaky voice asked, " What can Dobby get for Harry Potter?" Harry thought for a second before answering " I'll just have what ever everyone else is having" Dobby nodded then bowed. "Very well Mr. Harry Potter." With in seconds Harry's meal had appeared in front of him. He began to eat. After about twenty minutes Harry was finished eating so he decided to check out his 'treasure' from the room of requirement. He moved to an empty spot at the table and opened the book bag containing his things from the room. First there was a couple of spell books he had never seen before, second he hauled out the football and placed it on the chair beside himself, then came the mysterious box of rings as he opened the box they began to emit a hum. He dumped the container on the table and began to examine the rings.

At that moment the door squeaked again. Everyone turned to look, this time it was Remus Lupin who entered the Great Hall. He scanned the room and looked surprised and shocked to see Harry there. He gave everyone else in the room a curt nod and headed for Harry. Harry was so engrossed in the rings he did not even see Remus coming. When Remus got to the table he did not say anything for a moment or two. Remus then noticedwhat Harry waslooking at. With out even thinking to somewhat announce he was there Remus asked " Harry, where did you get those rings?" Harry jumped and looked up. He stammered for a second then continued, " Well, um.. I found them when I went to get something I hid in the room of requirement, do you know who they belong to?" Remus smiled for a second then began to frown, " Well, sort of. Those rings belong to the marauders, so one is mine, two are technically yours and the forth belongs to a murderer." Harry motioned for Remus to sit and he did " Can you tell me anything about them?" Remus pondered for a second then began to speak " Well Harry, those there are rings that Fred and George would kill to get their hands on, they are the ultimate mischief makers tool." Harry looked confused but Remus continued to speak. "Of course you now know why there is four of them, Sirius had them made the week that his mother died, they act as a key to any locked door at your house in Grimmauld Place, secondly they warm up when one of the wearers is in trouble, Thirdly they act as a portable floo, if I put mine on and say by chance you are in Hogsmead with your fathers ring on all I have to do is tap the ring with my thumb and say 'Prongs' it will transport me to within ten feet of you. The kicker is they are untraceable except for the owners of the other three. Also if anyone but a marauder tries to wear one it works like the shrinking keys that Mr. Weasley had to deal with all the time, it just gets too small for anyone to wear. Also they are charmed to deflect any minor curses or jinxes. Very handy around pranksters." Remus wandered off into thought for a moment then something occurred to him. " Harry have you tried to put any of them on?" Harry sat for a moment then answered Remus " No I didn't I wasn't sure if it was safe, I just picked them up because it seemed as if they were calling me in the room of requirement" Remus smiled " Well Harry I assure you they are totally safe, but you know, those rings will tell you if you're truly a marauder at heart, try and put one on. Your fathers would probably be most receptive to you."

Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to but he decided to humor his friend. " But Professor, I don't know which one was my dads" Remus looked at Harry and without missing a beat spoke" Look closer I bet you can figure it out" Harry picked up a ring and examined it. It had the letters SB and a small picture of a dog, okay that one was Sirius's, and he moved to the next one RL and a circle, which Harry assumed was a moon. He handed this one to Remus. Remus held it in his hand for a minute or two then shrugged and put it on his finger. Harry picked up a third ring and looked at it JP with a set of antlers. This was his father's. Harry was hesitant for a second then put it on his finger. Harry then began to glow just like when he had touched his wand for the first time. Remus began to laugh madly. Harry scowled at his friend" Why are you laughing like an idiot?" Remus laughed for a few more minutes then began to explain, " Yup, you're a marauder all right, second generation but a marauder none the less. That ring would never fit someone who wasn't, plus it made you glow that means it recognized that you had a strong tie to at least one other marauder. That ring is now truly yours" The last ring on the table was Wormtails Harry was infuriated "Remus can we destroy that one" pointing at Peters ring with disgust. Remus frowned "Unfortunately no, if one is destroyed none of them work. But we can wipe it blank and re assign it to a new marauder. When you find someone you find acceptable Give them the ring and when they put it on their initials and some sort of graphic representation will appear." Harry was pleased with this news. As Harry began to smile Remus waved his wand over Peters ring and mumbled a spell. The initials and the small rat on the ring disappeared. At that moment a thought came to Remus" Harry look at your ring now, it should be slightly different." Harry obeyed and took the ring off. He examined it now instead of JP on the outside it said HP and the JP transferred to the inside of the silver band. The antlers were still on the outside though. Harry liked that thought. The two men smiled at this newfound treasure.

At that moment a thought occurred to Remus, " Harry put on Sirius's ring I want to see what happens. Harry could tell where this was going. "Remus if I put this on it may adjust itself to me and this ring does not rightly belong to me" Harry then frowned. Remus could tell that Harry was truly concerned about the ownership of this ring. Instinctually Remus began " Harry I knew Sirius for many years, he had very few actual friends and even less people he actually considered family. You are the closest thing to family he had since your parents died, whether you believe it or not that ring belongs to you, no blood can carry a stronger bond than the one that Sirius had for you." Harry pondered that thought for a second, then like a ton of bricks a thought came to him. He decided to run it by Remus. " Remus, you of all people have missed something very important." Remus perked at Harry's supposed revelation. " What's that Harry?" Harry smiled slightly then continued " Sirius has family alive, you know that spunky lady with the bubble gum colored hair" Remus smiled at Harry's sudden attitude change then began to respond " That's true Harry but that is a Marauders Ring, only a true Marauder can wear it. And from my perspective Tonks is not a true Marauder, as much as I love her she doesn't have the spirit for it" Harry frowned "Well I don't think it is our place to decide, I think it is the rings choice, if Tonks can wear it the ring is hers" Harry's tone had a great deal of finality, there was no arguing. Remus resigned himself to that fact and began to smirk " Well we can get her to try it on in a few minutes, she should be here any minute." That though was acceptable to Harry so he placed the ring back in the box and waited for Tonks to show up.

As Harry waited he enjoyed a glass of pumpkin juice. After about twenty minutes the door creaked again. Everyone turned to see who had just come in. They all watched as Professor McGonnogal came in followed shortly behind by Tonks. The pair came over to the table and The Professor began to speak " Mr. Potter are you ready?" Harry looked at his friend and former teacher " Professor can we have a few minutes? We have something to do." Professor McGonnogal frowned but nodded acceptance. She then sat down at the table and waited for Harry to finish. When McGonnogal had seated herself Harry and Remus both motioned for Tonks to come over to that side of the table. Tonks sat down next to Remus, gave him a peck on the cheek. " Hi guys!" The two men sat silently pondering the task ahead. After a few minutes Harry spoke up " Tonks I was in the room of requirement and I found some rings, they belonged to the original Marauders. I gave Remus his back and I have my dad's but we are trying to decide who gets Sirius's ring. You see only a marauder can wear one of these rings. If you can wear Sirius's it's yours." Tonks nodded then began to speak " Harry, why do you want me to have it, you were closer to him than I was and I was related to him." Harry pondered this question for a second or two then he answered, " Well Tonks, it's like this. I don't know why but my gut just tells me that this ring is meant for you. I can't really explain, I just know and I think that if the ring is willing you should have it to remember him with." Tonks snuffled a bit and Harry knew he had hit a nerve with Tonks. The only thing she could do is mumble a "Thanks" between sobs. She then pulled Harry out of his chair and gave him an enormous hug. When they had finished the hug the two people sat back down. After they were re settled Harry reached across the table and picked up the box and pulled out Sirius's ring.

As he held it in his hand his instincts told him that it would fit Tonks but he had to be sure. He handed Tonks the ring and it began to lightly hum. She picked it up out of the palm of her hand and went to put it on. At first it shrunk a little then it widened up to allow it to slip onto Tonk's finger. When it had seated itself on the finger it began to glow as well. The initials changed as well as the picture, it changed from a dog into a pair of crossed wands. Harry spoke at once. " Ha Remus you were wrong, Tonks is a marauder." Remus just sat there silently shocked. Almost as soon as the ring had finished changing Tonks gasped" Where did the stuff that was on it before go? I don't want it to change like that." Remus then snapped out of his stupor and began to try and calm the young lady down." Whoa settle down dear, take the ring off and look inside." Tonks did as directed and sighed at the sight of the inside of the ring. At that moment Harry decided it was his turn to take his leave of the table " Remus I leave it up to you to explain the traits of that ring to your dearly beloved here, I have a meeting" Remus nodded. Harry gathered his books and the remaining ring then he motioned to McGonnogal. She nodded and the pair of then rose and left to go back to the headmaster's office. As they walked along the corridor they didn't say anything and the mood between them was tense. They finally reached the staircase and waited for it to open. The two of them remained silent for a minute or two then as they entered the office Professor McGonnogal asked Harry" Is there anything I can get for you before we start?" Harry just nodded no and sat down in a chair near the desk. McGonnogal followed suit and sat down behind the desk.

She shuffled some papers on the desk for a moment then began " What can I do for you today?" Harry paused for a second, gathered his thoughts then began " Professor, I was wondering, do you think it's safe to tell anyone about Dumbledore's plan, I mean do you think if Dumbledore was here he would allow me to tell certain people?" McGonnogal paused for a second then answered Harry " Well Harry, I know you want me to give you a definite yes or no answer but that's not my decision to make. When Dumbledore died that choice landed square on your shoulders." Harry nodded but said nothing. McGonnogal then continued " But knowing you as I do I know that two people already know, so really what you are asking me is if you should tell any one else, Am I right?" Harry just nodded again. The professor went on, " I also know that Dumbledore told you that love was your greatest weapon, and if my instinct is right it is the young Miss Weasley you want to confide in. Correct?" Harry blushed slightly then answered, " Well, yeah that's it. I hate having to hide from the one I love. I'm not saying she should help me or come with me when I have to leave, I just want her to know what's going on that's all." The professor smiled and looked lovingly at Harry, "Mr. Potter that is a very wise statement that shows wisdom beyond your years. What ever you decide to do I am behind you. And just to let you know Remus and myself are temporarily heading the Order. I can almost guarantee that the order would back you."

Harry nodded and rose from his chair. When he was nearly at the door he turned " Thank you professor, I don't know how much the order can help, but I'll keep that in mind. Thank you for your time." He then gave a slight bow and left the office. As Harry rode the stairs back down Harry's mind swam. What would he do?

He reentered the great hall and bode goodbye to everyone then left the school. He continued to think as he walked to Hogsmead. He was totally unsure what he would do at this moment. When he had reached Hogsmead he walked along the empty street. Harry made his way to the Hogs Head to see if he could use the fireplace. He had to use this one due to the fact that the three broomsticks was temporarily closed due to the fact that they were still interrogating Madame Rosemertta. Before he went to the Hogs Head he ducked into Honey Dukes and picked up a large slab of Chocolate as well as a whole case of chocolate frogs. With all his business done in the shop he headed to the Hogs Head and flooed back to the Leaky Cauldron. He immediately headed to his room.

See You Next Chapter

Preview summaries

Next Few Chapters: Harry's second Meeting with Ginny, coffee time, Return to the Burrow Hermione's return, Dinner dancing and drunken fun.


	5. Second meeting and Coffee

As Harry entered his room at the Leaky Cauldron his mind still swam with the choices he had to make. Harry was beginning to feel the stress of the last couple of days. Suddenly without reason Harry's Strength left him, he collapsed on the floor.

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. Unfortunately Harry was unconscious so he could not answer the knock at his door.

Ginny stood on the outside of the door and knocked. After a few minutes of waiting with no response Ginny knocked again. Still no response. Ginny wondered if Harry was still in the building. She knocked once more and waited again. Ginny was tired of Waiting. She went down to the pub to see Tom. When she reached the bottom of the stairs she noticed that most of her family were there. She ignored them and headed towards the bar. She stood there and waited for Tom to come over. When he did Ginny tried as hard as she could to hide her concern. "Tom have you seen Harry?" Tom looked confused but answered " Yeah, he just went up there a few minutes before you arrived." Ginny was now genuinely concerned. Ginny quickly thanked Tom and headed back up stairs. She stood in front of the door to Harry's room, she once more knocked. Two minutes, three minutes, four minutes. No answer. Ginny was tired of waiting. She let herself in. Ginny was shocked at the sight before her eyes. There in the middle of the floor amidst a pile of papers and what was left of the small table that normally sat in the middle of Harry's room was Harry. He was lying unconscious in the middle of the room. Even in an unconscious state Harry looked 'War beaten'. Ginny Slowly walked over to Harry and knelt down." Harry" Ginny shook him. " Harry wake up please!" There was no response from Harry. Ginny began to cry, as she continued to try and wake up Harry. "Harry please wake up!" She shook him, but nothing happened. Ginny was frantic. She got up and ran downstairs.

When she got there she scanned the Pub for her family. She found them at a large table in the center of the pub. She ran up and began to ramble to her mother " Mum, Mum, hurry. You gotta help me. Mum come on." Molly stopped what she was doing and looked at Ginny " Ginny dear, what's Wrong? Slow down and tell me what's going on." Ginny was still crying and began yell " Mum, Harry's upstairs and he's unconscious, I need help NOW!" Molly was shocked at her daughter. " Ginny I understand you need help but yelling at me will not do any good!" Ginny looked apologetically at her mother then continued, " I know mum, I'm sorry but please come help." Ginny then grabbed her mothers' arm and began to pull her towards the stairs. The two women went up the stairs and down the hall towards Harry's room. When they reached the door Ginny went in ahead of her mother. Molly was shocked at the state of the room. She then noticed Ginny kneeling beside a lump on the floor. Molly already knew what the lump was. As she walked up she noticed that Ginny was still crying. "Mum please help Harry, I love him too much to see him like this!" Molly smiled for just a second then began to frown, " Ginny dear, I could help you wake Harry but I don't think that that's a good idea. You see Harry passed out for a reason, if I wake him chances are he would pass out again soon. Harry passed out due to stress. His body is trying to reset itself. He'll come around Eventually" Ginny continued to cry as she spoke " So what you're telling me is I'm supposed to sit here and just do nothing, that's dumb" Molly's heart was breaking at that moment, not only was her daughter extremely up set, but the boy she had raised as her own was now lying on the floor overcome by stress. She sighed then answered her daughter, " No Ginny I'm not saying do nothing, but I think for now it's better for Harry to remain unconscious and rest his body and mind, he will eventually come around"

Molly pulled out her wand and waved it at Harry " Mobulus Corpus" Harry began to float above the floor. Molly motioned towards the bed with her wand and Harry's body began to float towards the bed. Once Harry was above the bed molly released the spell and Harry landed on the bed with a whoosh. Once he was had landed Molly walked over and covered him up. She then addressed her daughter once more. " I think it would be good for you to stay with Harry until he wakes up. I'll go tell everyone he will be okay. Let us know if he comes around" Ginny simply nodded and sat on the edge of Harry's bed. Molly then left the room and closed the door. Ginny sat silently for a moment or two. She then began to stroke his hair. " Oh, Harry, you always seemed so miserable, you feel you must carry the burden of the entire wizarding world on your shoulders, and Why, because someone said so! Ridiculous. You are always so sad and you said you feel alone, but remember Harry, you had and still have a great many people who consider you family, or love you very dearly, one of which is me, weather you like it or not I am not leaving you because you feel I am unsafe, do you hear me Harry, I will leave if and when I decide, not before!" Ginny said almost scolding the unconscious Harry.

At that point Harry regained use of his body for some reason, and his only reaction was reach up and hug Ginny, and as he did so he began to cry, but not, just cry, but sob uncontrollably to Ginny, who never said a word just merely held the sobbing boy, who she thought could sob no deeper. As his emotions began to subside slightly he felt suddenly once again very weak, and he knew what was coming so with the last bit of strength he has left he kissed her gently then softly said, "You know I really do love you!" and passed out again.

After a few hours Harry began to stir again. As he woke he turned and saw Ginny sitting on his bedside. Ginny was surprised as she noticed Harry awake. Before she could say anything Harry started, "I remember hearing you lecture me then, I kissed you and passed out, was I dreaming or did I actually do that?" Ginny knew that Harry was slightly embarrassed by the tone in his voice, but she showed no outward knowledge of his embarrassment, and sweetly answered " No Harry you were not dreaming you did kiss me, also you told me that you loved me very much, but you were, not totally in control of your self, so don't worry about it" Harry immediately cut in " No Ginny that was my moment of clarity today, I meant what I said whether I remember it or not, so don't be so quick to brush it off as an effect of stress, it's true I do love you but I've told you that I don't want you hurt, that is the only reason we cannot be together." Ginny sat beside Harry both elated that he did truly love her, and disappointed that he continued to try and protect her, even when she wanted no protection, all she really wanted was to be with him. No matter what!

Neither one of them spoke as Harry rose to his feet, Ginny followed suit and stood as well. Neither one of the pair said a word, but both had a severe urge to continue this conversation. As Harry was the last one to speak Ginny felt that it was her turn to now speak. She began as always in a very gentle voice " Harry I know that you want to protect me and Ron and Hermione, but is it not our choice to make, and yes the dark lord will seek to use us to get to you but that is a risk we are all willing to take." Then she looked at Harry for a few moments with a mixture of love, respect, and admiration in her eyes. Ginny then leaned towards Harry and kissed him as passionately as she could muster from the depths of her being. As Harry sat there in this unexpected embrace he realized that Ginny was truly the one that would stand by him no matter what. So with that they ended the kiss, Ginny grasped Harry round the waist, and they headed for the door. Before they got there they decided to stay in Harry's room. They turned and headed towards the couch in front of the fireplace. Harry sat down on the couch but before Ginny sat she spoke once again "Harry, I wanted to be the first to talk to you before you get bombarded by the rest of them…"with that she nodded down towards the floor. Harry spoke " Ginny who's here and how long have they been here?" Ginny answered truthfully as she could Well most everyone in my family is here as well as Hermione and Fleur. Harry nodded at Ginny and remained seated on the couch.

Ginny sat down beside him and leaned into Harry so that she could use Harry like a pillow. The two said nothing for quite a while. Then Ginny spoke. She began "Harry?" His only response was "Hmm" so Ginny assumed he was listening then continued "What do you think will happen after you have beaten 'you know who' will you try and live a normal life, will you remain closed off to everyone, will you ever take time to enjoy simple pleasures, you know like what we're doing now?" Harry was somewhat surprised that Ginny had asked those particular questions sat for a few minutes and thought then he answered slowly so that he did not screw up his answers " Ginny, you and I both know that I may very well loose my battle with 'you know who' we all hope not, but you never know. Secondly I am only closed off to protect the people I care about, and lastly I do hope to have a normal life with simple pleasures such as this otherwise what the hell are we all fighting for." With that Harry sat silent again. Ginny was shocked at Harry's answer to her question but she let it go. Harry could tell that the young girl was still thinking deeply but she still said nothing for quite some time. She simply cuddled up closer to Harry. After about twenty minutes she spoke again " Harry, if this is going to be one of the last true good memories you have before you start "your" battle I want it to be good, so I don't wanna say anything else I just want you to enjoy this time." Harry knew that Ginny did not want anything said but he had to say something. "Ginny, it would not matter to me if this was the last good memory I do ever have, because I spent it with someone I really cared, Besides you have faith that I can win so I should too, once this is all over I hope to have many more good memories, with whoever chooses to stick around. But thanks for the sentiment" as Harry finished speaking he just pulled Ginny a little closer and they sat silently.

As Harry sat there enjoying the company of Ginny he began to think to himself " Harry my boy, how come this beautiful girl insists on staying with you, does she not realize what kind of danger she is in just by being associated with you" he thought for a while longer then seemed to answer his own thoughts " you stupid clod, you know exactly why she stays by your side, she loves you but you just don't want to let that interfere with the decisions that are left to be made. She has taken the ball out of your court, she will do as she wishes weather you like it or not so you might as well just accept that and enjoy the company" at his last thought Harry felt the beast in his chest roar slightly and he had to almost smile. Even after all the things he had done to Ginny or not done for that matter the beast in his chest still controlled a lot of the actions of Harry when it came to matters of Ginny. Harry looked down at Ginny for a second and realized she was as close to sleep as she could get with out actually sleeping, and he could tell that she was totally content at that moment while she listened to his heart beat and feeling his chest move with every breath. It was then that Harry wondered what was going on in Ginny's head, but he never got the chance to ask her because at that moment there was a knock on the door.

Harry called out "Come in" The door opened and four bodies entered the room. Ron spoke first " All right Harry?" Harry's simple response " Um Hmm", At that point Ron looked amazingly relieved but at the same time he looked quite angry. So Harry spoke very decisively " Is there a problem Ron?" Harry realized that his voice had a snide tone to it, but it was to late no sooner than Harry finished speaking Ron Exploded " Are you telling me that you have put us off all day, scared the crap out of us then decide to be so ho hum about everything that has happened, are you mad, then we find you sitting here snuggled up with my little sister" At that point Ginny felt Harry tense so violently that to her it felt like a rubber band snapping back at that point she partially straightened up, when she realized Harry has became so suddenly angered by her brothers remarks she sat up as straight as possible and waited for the feud to start. Before either of them could get a word out Hermione piped up " Hey, relax, besides I don't see the problem here, all Harry wanted…" Looking at Ron and the rest of them "was some quiet time away from this type of a situation, and the first thing that happens is Ron freaks out, no wonder he was hiding, as for the fact that he was snuggled up with Ginny, it is not really relevant, so I don't think neither of them is at fault, I think they both wanted to relax and I also think they both needed comfort, so why not comfort each other and I knew Harry would talk to us when he was ready. So I'm fine, I've learned all I need to know, and that is the fact that Harry is okay."

Once she was done speaking Hermione sat back in her chair and relaxed. As she looked around she was surprised to see that Ron had so quickly and easily been deflated and robbed of his anger, she thought that this was a good thing so she smiled. Ginny spoke next " Thank you Hermione, now Fred, George do you two have anything to say?" as she spoke Ginny stared at her older brothers, she had a fire in her eyes, Fred and George looked at each other and then Fred began" I thought that you two were well…" George finished " Done dating each other, or something like that" With that Ginny smiled slightly and said " Harry and I have an agreement, even through he was unconscious when that agreement was made he knows if he breaks it I will hex him forever, you see the agreement is I'm not going anywhere and he can't do anything about it, like the rest of you it is my decision to make weather I'm around him not his." With that everyone laughed and Harry relaxed back to the position he had been in before everyone had entered, Ginny abruptly followed suit and rested her head on Harry again.

Ginny and Harry gave Hermione a thankful glance. Hermione continued " I know none of us liked being in the dark over what was happening but it's all right now!" The teens in the room chatted for a while.

After about half an hour Harry remembered he was supposed to go home tomorrow. Harry was sad at this point but knew that this time would come. Harry spoke "You know I' have to go back to the Dursley's Tomorrow?" Everyone frowned for a moment. At that moment a thought occurred to Ginny, "Hey why don't you come home with us tonight and dad will help you get home tomorrow." Harry frowned " I dunno, you think that's a good idea?" Ginny, Ron and Hermione nodded all in unison. Harry shrugged and Said, "Okay, lets go see what your mum says" The teens got up and left the room. They walked down the stairs and towards the table with the older Weasley Children and the adults sitting at it. Ginny walked up to her mum. " Mum can Harry come for supper and will dad help him get home tomorrow?" Molly smiled for a moment then spoke very matter of factly " I take it you two have sorted out your problems?" Harry blushed then nodded at Molly. "Well okay, who's coming back for supper?" Fred and George were the first two to pipe in almost in unison " Sorry mum, tomorrow's a normal business day we have to go and rest, we'll see you for supper on Sunday though." Once the twins were done speaking it was Hermione's turn, "Mrs. Weasley I would love to but I think that my parents are waiting for me at home." Mr. Weasley piped in at that moment" Well that's an easy fix invite them for supper as well!" Once Mr. Weasley had finished his comment Mrs. Weasley smiled" That's a splendid idea Arthur, Hermione lets go ask your parents to supper" At that Hermione blushed and meekly agreed, and off the three Weasley's and Hermione went. That only left Bill and Fleur standing there with Ginny and Harry.

As Harry stood there with the three other people Harry felt uneasy due to the fact that he barely knew Bill, and Harry wondered if Bill might cause him some form of bodily harm if he showed any form of public affection towards Ginny, so Harry stood there with his hands in his pockets looking at his shoes dumbly. Bill wrapped his arm around Harry and Said " This waiting stuff is dull, lets go have some coffee, or pumpkin juice, or some butter beers?" With that Harry looked at Ginny who just gave him an approving nod, so the four of them headed for the door. When they got out side they ran into Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Bill explained what they wanted to do. Mrs. Weasley seemed somewhat concerned as she spoke " How will you all get to the House?" Bill who was always one to try and be a step ahead of his mother " I will apparate with Harry and Fleur will Help Ginny, it will be okay mum" Molly Weasley looked Concerned but after a few minutes of re assuring from her son she finally agreed. Before Mr. and Mrs. Weasley left Mrs. Weasley told the foursome "Try and be no more than an hour or so because the Grangers are probably joining us for Dinner tonight" Bill reassured his mother "Okay mum, we'll be on time, I Promise".

The foursome began to walk to find a Coffee shop that was open; they exited the pub and walked along the sidewalk chit chatting as they went along, not really talking about anything important. It was not really all that hard to find an open shop once they left the train station. Within a few minutes the foursome was sitting in a small café dinking coffees that were all together way to expensive. The money was not really a big concern for any of them, so they sat and continued to chat amongst themselves. Bill was chatting with Harry, and Fleur kept Ginny occupied. After a little while the conversation turned in a direction that Harry knew it was going to eventually so he was not really surprised when Bill asked "Harry what do you plan on doing now?" Harry sat poised already knowing his answer because he had already given it once today, " I'm not exactly sure, all I know for sure is that I have to go back to my aunt and uncle's house at least once before my birthday and once after my Birthday, other than that I could do many things, I now as you know own my God fathers old house, if I could get rid of that horrible portrait of his mother, I might even consider living there," Harry paused for a moment then continued " I don't really even know if I will go back to school if it is open next year, I have to end this war before it gets going to far. I can't do that from school so I will maybe finish school after I dunno, I guess that would be all up to the headmaster or mistress when I'm done.

I mean I still want to be an auror but I think if I defeat 'you know who' I don't really see a need to finish school because the sole reason for me wanting to be an auror will be gone." Ginny cut in as soon as Harry had finished " Will you still be coming to the wedding?" Harry looked around to see that all three of the other occupants of the table were watching him for his response, he chuckled and said " I wouldn't miss it for the world" Everyone seemed to relax. They continued to drink their coffees when Harry noticed Fleur elbow Bill in the rib. Bill's reaction was a little cringe and then he began to question Harry again " Harry I've been asked to ask you for information regarding your plans with my baby sister" Ginny gave the two adults at the table a terrible glare that indicated both disproval of the reference to Ginny as a baby and her dislike of the question that was inferred. She looked at Harry then said " Harry I don't want you to answer that if you don't want to, I will not allow these supposed adults to apply pressure to an already tense situation." Harry was surprised at Ginny's adult like response to both the insinuation that she was a child and the uncomfortable question, but he slowly began " Ginny it is fine, I'll answer so that no one is uncomfortable with the situation." He paused then continued, " I'm not exactly sure where we stand but apparently she does, so maybe she would be a better person to answer that question than I would"

Harry knew that he had passed the buck to Ginny but he did not feel bad because he did not lie Ginny did in fact know better than him where they stood relationship wise. At that Fleur and Bill looked at Bill's younger sister with a questioning look on their faces. Ginny sat for a few minutes and said nothing as she debated weather or not to answer this particular question. Ginny sipped her coffee purposely taking her time, she then moved her hand on top of the table so that it grasped Harry's own hand and began to speak " Even though I do not think it is any body's business but mine and Harry's I'll tell you anyway, just to get everyone off our backs. " she then began from the very beginning " Harry and I had dated for a few weeks before the encounter with the death eaters, the night of the attack, we did all we could to help him, and you know the results of that, then at the funeral Harry told me he could not see me any more because he did not want me to be in harms way but then " she paused and shifted gears a little and began to recount the episode in the hotel room "I came to visit Harry earlier today to sort out some issues. I went up to his room only to find Harry passed out on the floor, while he was unconscious I told him what I thought of the idea of being apart just because he had fear for my safety, I told him I was not going anywhere, after he woke up we talked and we still are not officially back together but we both care for each other, and we will move on from that point." Ginny began to smile, as she looked at Harry then to her brother.

Bill as well began to smile because that was the most logical reasoning he had ever heard come from his sister's mouth. Then as suddenly as the seriousness had started it was over and they went back to chit chatting about nothing in particular. Once their hour was nearly up the foursome rose from the table. When they reached the cashier to pay the bill, Harry insisted it was his treat to pay the bill, he was thanked by the other three that were with him, the foursome then left the café and headed for the closest semi private area they could find. Once again as they walked down the sidewalk the four of them chatted amongst themselves. After a block or two they found an empty alley and ducked down it. Harry knew what they were about to do so he grabbed a hold of Bills arm and waited for that awful feeling that occurred when Harry had appairated in the past. The two men waited while Fleur helped Ginny situate herself. After a small explanation of what was going to happen to her Ginny seemed ready to go. Fleur gave Bill a small nod and they vanished.


End file.
